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League of Peoples #3
Vigilant
The League of Peoples
An Overview
By James Alan Gardner
Author of Expendable, Commitment Hour, and Vigilant.
The most important thing to stress about the League is that it is not a government . . . at least not in any sense we humans understand. In particular, there is no "League Headquarters" or "League Embassy" where you can get the League's official opinion on a particular subject. There's no organization you can tie down.
But the League's net is wide and its arm long, reaching throughout several hundred worlds - sixty-three Core worlds, ninety-two Fringe worlds, and several hundred colony worlds. And there is only one law that applies to all worlds: the single directive of the League of Peoples.
In the twenty-first century, humans were contacted by a group of aliens who called themselves the Mentors. No one on Earth actually saw a Mentor; instead, the Mentors incubated and trained fully human envoys to convey the Mentors' message. Basically, the Mentors offered Faster-Than-Light drives, anti-aging medicines, and a new home planet in the stars to any human being that wanted to go. The only catch was that humans had to abide by the single law of the League: you cannot take lethal weapons into space.
The offer stayed open for twenty years, during which time many people left for the new world. The disruption that resulted from this evacuation caused general economic chaos on Earth, then an industrial collapse and a number of nasty wars, all aggravated by ecological catastrophes. Earth civilization fell apart for several decades until it restabilized at a less complicated level.
Back to the Mentors . . . They introduced themselves as representatives of the League and even bestowed a charter of membership on that portion of humanity who went into space . . . but in fact, they weren't acting for the League in an official capacity. They had simply decided on their own that Earth should be approached; the Mentors believed the most "civilized" part of the human race deserved to be rescued from the rest, and they took responsibility for making that happen.
This pattern was followed with several other races in our galaxy over the next thousand years or so: the Mentors approached a species, explained the nature of the League, and offered assistance in getting established on other worlds. As a result, all these cultures use similar technologies and occupy about the same technological level. Because these species are roughly on a par with humans, many became our trading partners.
Humans occasionally encounter other alien races - ones that developed long before the Mentors came on the scene. However, we have very little in common with these peoples since they are usually far more advanced than we are. Most of the time, we don't interest them very much. The very highest races in the League probably regard us much as we regard bacteria; they don't care what we do and certainly would never consider "governing" us. All that concerns them is that we don't start acting like a disease.
Even so, humans can occasionally turn to more senior races for help. For example, in Expendable, Admiral Chee tells a story of how members of three more advanced species served as judges in a dispute between humans and another alien race. This was not an official function of the League of Peoples; the League has no formal justice system. However, various senior races do offer to help more primitive races resolve their differences . . . probably to win brownie points with even older races.
So people who are higher on the ladder sometimes lend a hand to people who are lower
. . .but only if they feel like it, or if they want to make a good impression with people even farther up. The League itself organizes none of this - just League members helping other League members. Humans might say, "The League wants this," or "The League decided that," but that's not usually true. Most often, some more advanced race will say, "This is what you ought to do," and humans will interpret that judgment as if it came from the League itself.
In fact, the League only does one thing throughout the galaxy: It prevents dangerous non-sentient beings from leaving their planet of origin. The League does not give warnings (although some individual League members may); the League does not tell you how to behave (although again, some advanced species may make suggestions); the League only acts as judge and executioner on dangerous creatures that might cause trouble in other systems.
And to think that some folks think the League is benevolent . . .
384 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
James Alan Gardner
65 books279 followersRaised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, James Alan Gardner earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
A graduate of the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, Gardner has published science fiction short stories in a range of periodicals, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Amazing Stories. In 1989, his short story "Children of the Creche" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his story "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" won an Aurora Award; another story, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," won an Aurora and was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.
He has written a number of novels in a "League of Peoples" universe in which murderers are defined as "dangerous non-sentients" and are killed if they try to leave their solar system by aliens who are so advanced that they think of humans like humans think of bacteria. This precludes the possibility of interstellar wars.
He has also explored themes of gender in his novels, including Commitment Hour in which people change sex every year, and Vigilant in which group marriages are traditional.
Gardner is also an educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is used as a textbook in some Canadian universities.
A Grand Prize winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he lives with his family in Waterloo, Ontario.
A graduate of the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, Gardner has published science fiction short stories in a range of periodicals, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Amazing Stories. In 1989, his short story "Children of the Creche" was awarded the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his story "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" won an Aurora Award; another story, "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," won an Aurora and was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.
He has written a number of novels in a "League of Peoples" universe in which murderers are defined as "dangerous non-sentients" and are killed if they try to leave their solar system by aliens who are so advanced that they think of humans like humans think of bacteria. This precludes the possibility of interstellar wars.
He has also explored themes of gender in his novels, including Commitment Hour in which people change sex every year, and Vigilant in which group marriages are traditional.
Gardner is also an educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is used as a textbook in some Canadian universities.
A Grand Prize winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he lives with his family in Waterloo, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 27, 2024
I'm going to have to reread this entire set again. I would even if I'd realized that this was an actual 'mystery-thriller' going in. But in any case they are just that good. My husband is enjoying them, too. Engrossing, thought-provoking, What If, and Sense of Wonder. And lots of females who are people.
December 5, 2008
In a fractional rating system, I would have given this book a 3.7.
Sometimes I pick up a bunch of books really cheap, for ten cents apiece up in Maine. Or I get them three for a dollar in Brookline. At those prices, I can afford to take a chance on writers that I've never read before - even though I only like three modern genre writers.
Once in a very long while, I find a new modern author who can write well.
The Vigilant is actually a surprisingly good book. Gardner's not a new Zelazny, but this long science fiction novel about a plague on a colony planet surprised me several times - and didn't annoy me once. Well, okay, the author's use of the word "Dads" annoyed me. A lot. But apart from that, the characters were well-written, and the plot worked pretty well.
The heroine was a bit annoying at times, but that was intentional. And the ideas behind the story were interesting; it takes place in a galactic "League of Peoples" in which unimaginably powerful races have issued a single command: that dangerous non-sentient beings cannot travel from planet to planet.
The novel also features an interesting idea for a non-governmental organization which exists solely to scrutinize the government, and to publicize malfeasance and the consequences of government action and inaction; it's not slanted in any obvious political direction, and doesn't pretend to perfection.
There's a pretty large mystery component to the plot, which when handled properly is always good. I don't know if it would have been possible to solve the mystery before the denouement, but I didn't feel cheated, and I didn't see the various revelations coming in advance. Apparently Gardner has written a number of other books; I'll probably try them.
Sometimes I pick up a bunch of books really cheap, for ten cents apiece up in Maine. Or I get them three for a dollar in Brookline. At those prices, I can afford to take a chance on writers that I've never read before - even though I only like three modern genre writers.
Once in a very long while, I find a new modern author who can write well.
The Vigilant is actually a surprisingly good book. Gardner's not a new Zelazny, but this long science fiction novel about a plague on a colony planet surprised me several times - and didn't annoy me once. Well, okay, the author's use of the word "Dads" annoyed me. A lot. But apart from that, the characters were well-written, and the plot worked pretty well.
The heroine was a bit annoying at times, but that was intentional. And the ideas behind the story were interesting; it takes place in a galactic "League of Peoples" in which unimaginably powerful races have issued a single command: that dangerous non-sentient beings cannot travel from planet to planet.
The novel also features an interesting idea for a non-governmental organization which exists solely to scrutinize the government, and to publicize malfeasance and the consequences of government action and inaction; it's not slanted in any obvious political direction, and doesn't pretend to perfection.
There's a pretty large mystery component to the plot, which when handled properly is always good. I don't know if it would have been possible to solve the mystery before the denouement, but I didn't feel cheated, and I didn't see the various revelations coming in advance. Apparently Gardner has written a number of other books; I'll probably try them.
July 17, 2024
A solid space-opera adventure that I liked a lot: a solid 4-star rating from me. Recommended reading.
Here’s Tim Hick’s review, which sums up what I liked, and points out a few weak spots:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What he said . . .
JD Nicoll commented on this series in his tor.com column:
"Rarely returning to the same viewpoint character twice, Gardner leads the viewer through a series of grand star-spanning adventures. The series is that rare thing in science fiction, the comedic SF novel (and that even rarer thing, comedic SF novels that I enjoy)."
https://www.tor.com/2022/05/13/five-s...
I didn't much care for the first in this series, so I'm glad I tried this one. Good stuff, even 25 years on. I'm likely to try another.
Here’s Tim Hick’s review, which sums up what I liked, and points out a few weak spots:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What he said . . .
JD Nicoll commented on this series in his tor.com column:
"Rarely returning to the same viewpoint character twice, Gardner leads the viewer through a series of grand star-spanning adventures. The series is that rare thing in science fiction, the comedic SF novel (and that even rarer thing, comedic SF novels that I enjoy)."
https://www.tor.com/2022/05/13/five-s...
I didn't much care for the first in this series, so I'm glad I tried this one. Good stuff, even 25 years on. I'm likely to try another.
February 18, 2019
_Vigilant_ by James Alan Gardner is set in the same universe as his earlier work, _Expendable_. Though one of the characters from that earlier book makes reappearance, the novel largely focuses instead on new characters. Instead of dealing with a deadly planet of no return and a Technocracy-wide conspiracy, _Vigilant_ is instead, at least at first, a murder mystery set on the colony world of Demoth.
The main protagonist is a woman by the name of Faye Smallwood. A very well developed character and in many ways quite different from the heroine of _Expendable_ (Festina Ramos, who is a character in this book as well), we are treated in the first part of the book to a rather well-fleshed out account of her earlier years, which while at first seemingly serving only to make the character more vivid, the reader later discovers actually provides valuable clues to later events in the novel. Faye grew up as the daughter of a doctor in a mining town, one of several thousand human colonists invited by the planet's majority species, the Ooloms. The Ooloms it seems, while human-like in many ways, have a number of differences, particularly adaptations for gliding and limited flight (lighter bones, flying squirrel-like glider membranes) as well as a few other interesting features (such as a largely involuntary chameleon-like ability to change color). They also have a strong aversion to being underground (one character described them as "arboreal with a vengeance"), so humans were invited to come and run their mining operations.
By some unknown method a very deadly disease ravages the Ooloms, killing the vast majority of them. Crippling the Oolom medical infrastructure and vastly overwhelming the human colonists who do their best to help, most of the humans (who are completely immune to the disease) basically run huge hospices in outdoor tents, doing their best to keep their friends and neighbors comfortable and desperately trying to find a cure for the disease. Faye as a child grows up with this, spending days and weeks caring for sick and dying Ooloms, helping her dad and becoming friends with an Oolom who is a member of the Vigil, all defining moments for her life.
After a rough-and-tumble later childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, having tried many things Faye becomes a member of the Vigil, a planet-wide human-Oolom (much more human after the deadly pandemic) police organization, one charged with keeping an eye on all levels of government and authorized to enter any building, peruse any records, interview any government official, and even participate in local police criminal investigations. A key part of being a member of the Vigil is the implantation of a cybernetic device into the brain, something they call a link-seed, a device that allows any member of the Vigil to instantly research anything, anywhere, contact the worldwide computer called the world-soul that silently runs things behind the scenes, and all-in-all become better investigators.
As Demoth is a peaceful world and the practically galaxy-wide and nearly apparently omniscient League of Peoples rigidly enforces laws against non-sentient behavior (i.e. murder, ordering murder, indiscriminate use of deadly force, or knowingly aided individuals guilty of such acts), instantly killing any individuals guilty of such behavior once they leave the star system where the crime was committed (and sometimes punishing entire governments or species if the crime involves them), most of the time members of the Vigil work to expose government incompetence, short-sightedness, or corruption. However, someone it seems is targeting and killing members of the Vigil. Why? Who would do such a thing, run such huge risks and risk the wrath of the League?
Faye investigates, though as a new member of the Vigil she is blocked by her superiors, feeling that this task is well beyond her new abilities. When she finds that the Admiralty is interested in what is going on on Demoth and that possibly a missing archaeologist has uncovered long-lost alien technology on the planet, Faye finds herself trapped in a planet-wide mystery that has grave implications for all life on the planet.
A good book, I enjoyed the well-drawn out main character, the interesting Ooloms, the way Festina was portrayed as if shown through someone else's eyes, subtly different from how she appeared in _Expendable_, where she was the main character, the way many plot elements were tied together, and though not a major element, the nicely done alien ecology of Demoth
The main protagonist is a woman by the name of Faye Smallwood. A very well developed character and in many ways quite different from the heroine of _Expendable_ (Festina Ramos, who is a character in this book as well), we are treated in the first part of the book to a rather well-fleshed out account of her earlier years, which while at first seemingly serving only to make the character more vivid, the reader later discovers actually provides valuable clues to later events in the novel. Faye grew up as the daughter of a doctor in a mining town, one of several thousand human colonists invited by the planet's majority species, the Ooloms. The Ooloms it seems, while human-like in many ways, have a number of differences, particularly adaptations for gliding and limited flight (lighter bones, flying squirrel-like glider membranes) as well as a few other interesting features (such as a largely involuntary chameleon-like ability to change color). They also have a strong aversion to being underground (one character described them as "arboreal with a vengeance"), so humans were invited to come and run their mining operations.
By some unknown method a very deadly disease ravages the Ooloms, killing the vast majority of them. Crippling the Oolom medical infrastructure and vastly overwhelming the human colonists who do their best to help, most of the humans (who are completely immune to the disease) basically run huge hospices in outdoor tents, doing their best to keep their friends and neighbors comfortable and desperately trying to find a cure for the disease. Faye as a child grows up with this, spending days and weeks caring for sick and dying Ooloms, helping her dad and becoming friends with an Oolom who is a member of the Vigil, all defining moments for her life.
After a rough-and-tumble later childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, having tried many things Faye becomes a member of the Vigil, a planet-wide human-Oolom (much more human after the deadly pandemic) police organization, one charged with keeping an eye on all levels of government and authorized to enter any building, peruse any records, interview any government official, and even participate in local police criminal investigations. A key part of being a member of the Vigil is the implantation of a cybernetic device into the brain, something they call a link-seed, a device that allows any member of the Vigil to instantly research anything, anywhere, contact the worldwide computer called the world-soul that silently runs things behind the scenes, and all-in-all become better investigators.
As Demoth is a peaceful world and the practically galaxy-wide and nearly apparently omniscient League of Peoples rigidly enforces laws against non-sentient behavior (i.e. murder, ordering murder, indiscriminate use of deadly force, or knowingly aided individuals guilty of such acts), instantly killing any individuals guilty of such behavior once they leave the star system where the crime was committed (and sometimes punishing entire governments or species if the crime involves them), most of the time members of the Vigil work to expose government incompetence, short-sightedness, or corruption. However, someone it seems is targeting and killing members of the Vigil. Why? Who would do such a thing, run such huge risks and risk the wrath of the League?
Faye investigates, though as a new member of the Vigil she is blocked by her superiors, feeling that this task is well beyond her new abilities. When she finds that the Admiralty is interested in what is going on on Demoth and that possibly a missing archaeologist has uncovered long-lost alien technology on the planet, Faye finds herself trapped in a planet-wide mystery that has grave implications for all life on the planet.
A good book, I enjoyed the well-drawn out main character, the interesting Ooloms, the way Festina was portrayed as if shown through someone else's eyes, subtly different from how she appeared in _Expendable_, where she was the main character, the way many plot elements were tied together, and though not a major element, the nicely done alien ecology of Demoth
June 5, 2016
I never write summaries here anyway, and this time that's good because a summary would have to be almost as long as the book. If some books are fluffy baguettes and some are Wonder Bread, this one's pumpernickel or at least a dark rye. There's a LOT packed in here.
For a 1999 book, it holds up well 17 years later. The plot unrolls smoothly, and we are given an interesting cast of characters, all flawed. The heroine is large, strong, not that young, not particularly attractive, has had some mental issues, but is still smart and brave and resourceful and tough without being at all a Mary Sue. Ramos (who we've met before) and Tic are great, and get some clever lines.
If you like strong female characters, you'll like this. You have to accept some plot points that are a bit of a stretch, such as what the peacock is, but every SF author is allowed a few handwaves to work with, and Gardner uses these consistently.
Every ten pages or so, the plot gets more complicated. Just as you think it's a whodunit, it becomes a who-dun-what, and we repeat several times. The ending goes all woo-woo a bit, then goes Indiana Jones (in the most implausible making-fun-of-the-genre way) and then wraps up rather quickly.
A good read, and I'll look for more Gardners.
For a 1999 book, it holds up well 17 years later. The plot unrolls smoothly, and we are given an interesting cast of characters, all flawed. The heroine is large, strong, not that young, not particularly attractive, has had some mental issues, but is still smart and brave and resourceful and tough without being at all a Mary Sue. Ramos (who we've met before) and Tic are great, and get some clever lines.
If you like strong female characters, you'll like this. You have to accept some plot points that are a bit of a stretch, such as what the peacock is, but every SF author is allowed a few handwaves to work with, and Gardner uses these consistently.
Every ten pages or so, the plot gets more complicated. Just as you think it's a whodunit, it becomes a who-dun-what, and we repeat several times. The ending goes all woo-woo a bit, then goes Indiana Jones (in the most implausible making-fun-of-the-genre way) and then wraps up rather quickly.
A good read, and I'll look for more Gardners.
October 17, 2010
Mr. Gardner has a fine talent for creating narrators that feel real. You get involved with their problems and sympathize with their angsts - as well as cheer their successes. It's a most engrossing style. All of this in his quirky sci fi world where moral dilemmas are always just a little bit trickier than you expect.
In this novel, Faye Smallwood is a middle-aged woman who inhabits a world shared by humans and Divians, a fun alien species. She's done her best to rebuild herself after a plague decimated most of the Divians - as well as her teenaged innocence. However, she slowly learns that, as traumatizing and terrible as the plague itself was, there may have been more to it than the obvious. Help comes from a savvy off-worlder, as well, and fans of this series will certainly recognize her.
Great book, with more than one, "Woah!" moment to knock you off your feet (or just make your coworkers think you're crazy for exclaiming at a book).
In this novel, Faye Smallwood is a middle-aged woman who inhabits a world shared by humans and Divians, a fun alien species. She's done her best to rebuild herself after a plague decimated most of the Divians - as well as her teenaged innocence. However, she slowly learns that, as traumatizing and terrible as the plague itself was, there may have been more to it than the obvious. Help comes from a savvy off-worlder, as well, and fans of this series will certainly recognize her.
Great book, with more than one, "Woah!" moment to knock you off your feet (or just make your coworkers think you're crazy for exclaiming at a book).
December 27, 2020
I loved the first book in this series but couldn't finish the second book. Then I took a really long break afraid the author had just changed his writing style completely and I wouldn't like the rest. Finally, I started read the next book in the series and I'm glad I did. This was so good. We get to see Festina again, from the first book, which was such a pleasure. I loved the new world and the description of the other inhabitants. Wonderful ending. I hope some day Festina will go back for good.
July 31, 2019
Substantially better than the previous book, but not quite on the same level as the first in the series. The premise on this one was much more interesting, and it was good to be off boring old earth. I liked that the League Of Peoples had a real influence on the progress of events, but remaining in the background. 3.5 stars rounded up.
December 30, 2011
Really liked it.
Concepts of The Explorers and The Vigil are terrific. Alien characterization is well done.
Secondary plot elements regarding alternative family structure and female->female love are a bit dated and heavy-handed but somehow manage to be sensitive too in their own way.
Love the way the story teeter totters on the sharp edge between contagious disease and biological weapons -after all the sick need care and the dead need to be buried no matter how they got that way, right?
July 29, 2025
The real Peoples are the friends you make along the way
September 2, 2007
James Alan Gardner is one of those science fiction authors I've really come to enjoy. His books are not heavy, thoughtful novels, tending more toward entertainment than education. But he's managed to weave together a pretty compelling world with a much grander story arc that spans several novels.
The premise is that "space" is being explored. And while genetic engineering has given most humans perfect bodies and very long lives, there are some that are physically or psychologically flawed. These become the member of the 'Expendable' class of the Explorer corps. The first to land on unknown terrain and usually the first to die. This makes for a great us-vs-them revolt-of-the-underclass kind of vibe that permeates all of his books. ADG does a great job here. Be prepared for some righteous indignation.
The premise is that "space" is being explored. And while genetic engineering has given most humans perfect bodies and very long lives, there are some that are physically or psychologically flawed. These become the member of the 'Expendable' class of the Explorer corps. The first to land on unknown terrain and usually the first to die. This makes for a great us-vs-them revolt-of-the-underclass kind of vibe that permeates all of his books. ADG does a great job here. Be prepared for some righteous indignation.
February 13, 2011
Faye Smallwood is a member of the Vigil, proctors who serve as sort of inspectors general of all the aspects of the very democratic politics of her planet. When her supervisor is killed on her first inspection, it becomes obvious that unknown entities are trying to variously kill and save her. The mystery has links to interstellar politics as well as a recent plague and the ancient history of her world. Interesting world-building, intriguing aliens, a mystery, and biological warfare! What could be better? This is book 2 of the "Expendables" series and I will be reading more of it.
June 15, 2020
The worldbuilding remains wonderful and I enjoy Festina in this quite a bit.
I like Faye but parts of the plot felt like it tried too hard🤷🏽♀️
I like Faye but parts of the plot felt like it tried too hard🤷🏽♀️
January 2, 2019
DNF 1/3rd or so, but I was skimming since the first page. I believe I kept going mainly to accumulate enough material for a bitchy review post. Mission accomplished, lucky you :/
Unlike the first two books in this series, Vigilant isn't built around a single what-if premise. Too bad, such constraint seems to stabilize Gardner's writing. I could be wrong about its absence, maybe the megadeaths from the apocalyptic plague that starts the book off is the central premise underlying most of the continuing plot, but so far it's been a background detail (if a big one) and I'm not going to keep reading just to find out.
Then there's our main character. A first-person novel hinges on the accompanyability* of the narrator, and Faye Smallwood is both uninteresting and moderately unpleasant. After seven years of schooling towards becoming an objective detail-oriented watchdog of a planetary political system, trained in cost-benefit analysis and follow-the-money investigation, Faye emerges at age 35 a bitter insecure teenager with the vocabulary of a cranky tv grandpa† desperate to impress us with petty observational cruelty and sneeringly supercilious sophomoric social commentary. Was this is deliberate or a byproduct of failed parody? I guess I'll give Hunted a try and find out!
* yeah, neologism, I hope you get what I mean
† my personal favorite was "doodads"
Unlike the first two books in this series, Vigilant isn't built around a single what-if premise. Too bad, such constraint seems to stabilize Gardner's writing. I could be wrong about its absence, maybe the megadeaths from the apocalyptic plague that starts the book off is the central premise underlying most of the continuing plot, but so far it's been a background detail (if a big one) and I'm not going to keep reading just to find out.
Then there's our main character. A first-person novel hinges on the accompanyability* of the narrator, and Faye Smallwood is both uninteresting and moderately unpleasant. After seven years of schooling towards becoming an objective detail-oriented watchdog of a planetary political system, trained in cost-benefit analysis and follow-the-money investigation, Faye emerges at age 35 a bitter insecure teenager with the vocabulary of a cranky tv grandpa† desperate to impress us with petty observational cruelty and sneeringly supercilious sophomoric social commentary. Was this is deliberate or a byproduct of failed parody? I guess I'll give Hunted a try and find out!
* yeah, neologism, I hope you get what I mean
† my personal favorite was "doodads"
July 10, 2020
I don't know if it's because he's a Canadian, but James Alan Gardner typically provides a view of what the future could be that is refreshingly humane compared to his peers. There is no continuation of the dog-eat-dog capitalism we currently endure, nor a return to the dismal days of rule by an oligarchic noble class which so many American SF writers see as what the discovery of star drives will bring. Gardner instead sees a League of People where myriads of sentient beings interact with the condition that no one with murderous intentions can take trips beyond their current planet of residence ( a rule enforced by the league members with tech a billion years beyond what homo sapiens possess). Despite the lack of malign space armadas out to do each other in, Gardner always provides a lot of action. But it is worlds where people mostly strive to be kind to each other. It may be this emphasis kindly interaction that makes Gardner's work so rich in terms of character (unlike many other works of SF, his novels have a literary feel in that the reader becomes intimately familiar with the drives of the viewpoint). I also live his allowance for new forms of marriage and for the exploration of desires that go beyond the CIS.
August 7, 2024
Vigilant" rates 3 stars, equivalent to "B".
I confess that I do find James Alan Gardner's five novels (I am on my fifth one - will read them all) difficult to assign to tags / bookshelves / categories. There is a galactic empire of sorts (the Technocracy) and an over-whelming influence by the advanced species, via The League of Peoples. BUT it is certainly not the traditional galactic empire treatment, as in masterpieces like Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire, or Frank Herbert's "Dune" or the more recent series of 2 novels by Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace).
Gardner's work is hard science -- more or less -- kind of / sort of. But not in a Larry Niven, Robert A. Heinlein, Lois McMaster Bujold fashion. While most / much of these novels would comfortably fit a hard science definition, there are often key elements that do NOT fit hard SF. And when we consider hard SF -- I tend to forget that Asimov's hard SF included psychic powers (The Mule in "Second Foundation", the hero in "Pebble in the Sky"), time travel ("The End of Eternity") and Frank Herbert's Dune (mostly hard SF) included clairvoyance.
As for RAH, Heinlein is sometimes considered the dean of hard SF, but he had lots of psychic abilities, even some extraordinary physical abilities (in some of his short stories), clairvoyance, downright godliness re Michael Valentine Smith in "Stranger ...", endless time travel loops in his later novels "To Sail Beyond the Sunset", etc. etc.).
James Alan's work is space opera -- but not a la Alastair Reynolds, Dan Simmons, Lois McMaster Bujold -- "Miles Vorkosigan" fashion. It is first contact in many / most of these novels. But not the type of first contact you find in the movies "E.T.", "First Encounters of the Third Kind", "Aliens", or "Avatar". As for Vigilant", this particular novel is not space opera.
So - you might want to take my Tags for these novels with a large grain of halite (NaCl).
Oops - I should be talking about the novel. Ah well, out of time for now. Suffice it to say that you really do owe it to yourself to try some James Alan Gardner! And, did I mention, he's Canadian?
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
"Vigilant" rates 3 stars, equivalent to a Goodreads score of "B".
I confess that I do find James Alan Gardner's five novels (I am on my fifth one - will read them all) difficult to assign to tags / bookshelves / categories. There is a galactic empire of sorts (the Technocracy) and an over-whelming influence by the advanced species, via The League of Peoples. BUT it is certainly not the traditional galactic empire treatment, as in masterpieces like Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire, or Frank Herbert's "Dune" or the more recent series of 2 novels by Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace).
Gardner's work is hard science -- more or less -- kind of / sort of. But not in a Larry Niven, Robert A. Heinlein, Lois McMaster Bujold fashion. While most / much of these novels would comfortably fit a hard science definition, there are often key elements that do NOT fit hard SF. And when we consider hard SF -- I tend to forget that Asimov's hard SF included psychic powers (The Mule in "Second Foundation", the hero in "Pebble in the Sky"), time travel ("The End of Eternity") and Frank Herbert's Dune (mostly hard SF) included clairvoyance.
As for RAH, Heinlein is sometimes considered the dean of hard SF, but he had lots of psychic abilities, even some extraordinary physical abilities (in some of his short stories), clairvoyance, downright godliness re Michael Valentine Smith in "Stranger ...", endless time travel loops in his later novels "To Sail Beyond the Sunset", etc. etc.).
James Alan's work is space opera -- but not a la Alastair Reynolds, Dan Simmons, Lois McMaster Bujold -- "Miles Vorkosigan" fashion. It is first contact in many / most of these novels. But not the type of first contact you find in the movies "E.T.", "First Encounters of the Third Kind", "Aliens", or "Avatar". As for Vigilant", this particular novel is not space opera.
So - you might want to take my Tags for these novels with a large grain of halite (NaCl).
Oops - I should be talking about the novel. Ah well, out of time for now. Suffice it to say that you really do owe it to yourself to try some James Alan Gardner! And, did I mention, he's Canadian?
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
"Vigilant" rates 3 stars, equivalent to a Goodreads score of "B".
July 14, 2017
The suspense and the humor made it very enjoyable. James Alan Gardner always masterfully incorporates humor and impressive sci-fiction creativity, a must in this genre. It's for those reasons that I keep reading his books. The LGBT love and attraction was well portrayed. There is definitely chemistry between Faye and Festina. The imagery used to describe Mummichog was particularly lovely. Because I read Expendable first, I knew a fair amount about Festina's allusions to things that happened in the book. However, I think you could still read and enjoy Vigilant without reading Expendable. If you enjoyed this book and haven't read it, I would recommend it.
December 21, 2024
Wow, that was amazing. It really drew me in and made me feel a lot for the main character. The story did get a bit complicated, but not in a bad way. And it came together well at the end. One of my best reads of the year. You could read this on it's own, but you'd miss out on a lot by not getting a connection with a character from the first book.
July 30, 2024
A good continuation of the series with a deadly plague, killer robots, impossible E.T.s and a central mystery that is as cleverly presented as it is solved. I like Gardner's easygoing style of writing too, the action flows along with nary a clunky passage.
August 21, 2014
There is much to commend about this book, most of which involves heavy spoilers particularly as it quickly becomes something of a mystery in which the less you'll know the more interesting it becomes. I shall certainly have some spoilers, but will attempt to keep them minimal.
I had read this book before, but had so completely forgotten having done so that I did not realize it was part of the same series as The Expendables (which I previously reviewed) and another I had read (not presently here), and featured the same character, Explorer now Admiral Festina Ramos. Part of my memory failure may be because this book is entirely told by Faye Smallwood, daughter of a small country doctor who becomes famous when he cures a plague that had killed four fifths of the population of aliens with whom they (the humans) shared this planet, who herself becomes a significant person in the world independently of that. It is the second book in the series, Ramos enters the story late and slowly, and Smallwood remains the focus and in some ways the heroine. It is a well-told story, particularly in that it feels like the experience of the central character unfolding as it goes. Sometimes she comments that something she thought at the time proved very wrong shortly thereafter, but never in the sense that it gives away anything more than the beginning of the next chapter.
Gardner gets credit for a lot of the science fiction insights--the aliens are all interesting and plausible, even when we meet the truly advanced ones that are beyond our explanation or understanding. The future technology of the humans (and Ooloms with whom they share this planet) all makes sense and has some good applications, and the glimpses we get of the technology beyond that is also fascinating but plausible. The experience of a genuine mind/machine interface is very interesting, as Faye becomes part of an oversight organization tapped into the central computer of the planet and describes how she "knows" what she accesses. Some of it does not withstand serious scrutiny--a radio transmitter powerful enough to connect to a global network without the benefit of a tower system would generate too much heat to be safely embedded in a skull without some kind of external cooling system, but we accept it partly because it is not explained.
Pieces of Gardner's universe become significant here: the League of Peoples, intelligent creatures advanced so far beyond us that they are beyond the comprehension of aliens who are already far beyond our comprehension, enforces a rule that no "non-sentient" creatures are permitted to travel between star systems, and that the primary test of sentience is that a sentient creature would not kill another sentient creature or knowingly permit another sentient creature to die when reasonably able to prevent it. Military officers use stun guns, because lethal weapons cannot be carried between star systems; they also use acid guns, but these apparently are tools for use on equipment and robots, not intended for use against people.
I remembered bits of the book as I read it, but I did not remember the undercurrent sexuality. I'm obviously a sea turtle, and most of it escaped me the first time through, but this time it was occasionally irksome. Gardner envisions a future in which bisexuality is normal. It is in some ways unclear--there is no mention of any homosexual/lesbian married couples, and indications of several heterosexual couples (including some between humans and ooloms), but when Faye decides to be rebellious and traditional at the same time she revives a religious practice of a group marriage, insisting that three of her girlfriends and four of her boyfriends all become one family unit together, it is evident that the sexual relationships are not limited to male/female couplings. Further, there are hints of a sexual relationship between Smallwood and Ramos, never blatant but occasionally present. Yet I think that the backdrop of married couples would not be quite as accepting of the foreground of bisexuality as the author seems to portray. Either the culture would have broken down more and heterosexual couples become less common, or the bisexuality would have been less acceptable.
The ultimate end of the mystery was disappointing, not that it was impossible but that it seemed implausible. It would have made much more sense had there actually been something hidden in the mines that was worth hiding or stealing, but that it turns out to be a personal vendetta while not incredible is not satisfying. Fortunately there are enough other discoveries along the way to make the story interesting.
I might read it again sometime, but my feeling is that the first book was considerably better, and the other book (which I'm sure is around here somewhere and eventually I'll find it and add it to the shelf and read it again) was also better. Gardner does have a knack for fitting interesting futuristic concepts into his stories and making them feel real, and that's a plus. The advanced aliens in this book are probably its strongest point, and they connect the story together in surprising ways.
--M. J. Young
I had read this book before, but had so completely forgotten having done so that I did not realize it was part of the same series as The Expendables (which I previously reviewed) and another I had read (not presently here), and featured the same character, Explorer now Admiral Festina Ramos. Part of my memory failure may be because this book is entirely told by Faye Smallwood, daughter of a small country doctor who becomes famous when he cures a plague that had killed four fifths of the population of aliens with whom they (the humans) shared this planet, who herself becomes a significant person in the world independently of that. It is the second book in the series, Ramos enters the story late and slowly, and Smallwood remains the focus and in some ways the heroine. It is a well-told story, particularly in that it feels like the experience of the central character unfolding as it goes. Sometimes she comments that something she thought at the time proved very wrong shortly thereafter, but never in the sense that it gives away anything more than the beginning of the next chapter.
Gardner gets credit for a lot of the science fiction insights--the aliens are all interesting and plausible, even when we meet the truly advanced ones that are beyond our explanation or understanding. The future technology of the humans (and Ooloms with whom they share this planet) all makes sense and has some good applications, and the glimpses we get of the technology beyond that is also fascinating but plausible. The experience of a genuine mind/machine interface is very interesting, as Faye becomes part of an oversight organization tapped into the central computer of the planet and describes how she "knows" what she accesses. Some of it does not withstand serious scrutiny--a radio transmitter powerful enough to connect to a global network without the benefit of a tower system would generate too much heat to be safely embedded in a skull without some kind of external cooling system, but we accept it partly because it is not explained.
Pieces of Gardner's universe become significant here: the League of Peoples, intelligent creatures advanced so far beyond us that they are beyond the comprehension of aliens who are already far beyond our comprehension, enforces a rule that no "non-sentient" creatures are permitted to travel between star systems, and that the primary test of sentience is that a sentient creature would not kill another sentient creature or knowingly permit another sentient creature to die when reasonably able to prevent it. Military officers use stun guns, because lethal weapons cannot be carried between star systems; they also use acid guns, but these apparently are tools for use on equipment and robots, not intended for use against people.
I remembered bits of the book as I read it, but I did not remember the undercurrent sexuality. I'm obviously a sea turtle, and most of it escaped me the first time through, but this time it was occasionally irksome. Gardner envisions a future in which bisexuality is normal. It is in some ways unclear--there is no mention of any homosexual/lesbian married couples, and indications of several heterosexual couples (including some between humans and ooloms), but when Faye decides to be rebellious and traditional at the same time she revives a religious practice of a group marriage, insisting that three of her girlfriends and four of her boyfriends all become one family unit together, it is evident that the sexual relationships are not limited to male/female couplings. Further, there are hints of a sexual relationship between Smallwood and Ramos, never blatant but occasionally present. Yet I think that the backdrop of married couples would not be quite as accepting of the foreground of bisexuality as the author seems to portray. Either the culture would have broken down more and heterosexual couples become less common, or the bisexuality would have been less acceptable.
The ultimate end of the mystery was disappointing, not that it was impossible but that it seemed implausible. It would have made much more sense had there actually been something hidden in the mines that was worth hiding or stealing, but that it turns out to be a personal vendetta while not incredible is not satisfying. Fortunately there are enough other discoveries along the way to make the story interesting.
I might read it again sometime, but my feeling is that the first book was considerably better, and the other book (which I'm sure is around here somewhere and eventually I'll find it and add it to the shelf and read it again) was also better. Gardner does have a knack for fitting interesting futuristic concepts into his stories and making them feel real, and that's a plus. The advanced aliens in this book are probably its strongest point, and they connect the story together in surprising ways.
--M. J. Young
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2019
Lovely. Interesting world building, interesting characters, good plot that pulled me along and kept me up late. Festina’s back!
August 12, 2020
Tic's a great character.
October 20, 2020
Full review to come. I love this book. Could have done without the last boss battle scene because I think it takes down the quality of the book.
February 25, 2021
3.5, highly entertaining, it’s the 3rd in a series but I read it as a stand alone.
April 12, 2023
ok scifi
June 27, 2025
I am so happy I bought this series. Every book is a wonder and I absolutely love them. <3
May 24, 2021
This book follows Faye, a 15 year-old doctor’s daughter that lived through a horrific pandemic that caused death to 93% of a sentient species. I love her voice in this. She starts out doing good things (helping her father in the hospital) to prove she was tougher than the miner kids, and absolutely captured the idealistic fragility of youth, how there is no context for love or loss or pain so everything is felt keenly. After a cure is found, she spends the next few years rebelling and self destructive with survivor’s guilt. And then one day, having made a life and surrounded by people who love her, she looks in the mirror and isn’t instinctively ashamed of what she sees. She dares to wonder, if I am not an irredeemable fuckup, what should I do with myself? She decides to honor the memory of her first love and becomes a member of the Vigil, a government watchdog organization.
I would reread this again just to watch Faye heal, to see her become a person, but the idea of a completely unbiased altruistic watchdog group that make sure services are fair and adequate and that graft/incompetence aren’t allowed to flourish?? To see a government take pandemic seriously and treat the patients humanely? Suddenly this is becoming a favorite book.
The first time I read this I really struggled, as the mother’s relationship to her daughter was so toxic, hateful, and (dare I say) bizarre. With a little distance and a lot of therapy, I just feel sorry for her. So much wasted time and unnecessary pain.
I would reread this again just to watch Faye heal, to see her become a person, but the idea of a completely unbiased altruistic watchdog group that make sure services are fair and adequate and that graft/incompetence aren’t allowed to flourish?? To see a government take pandemic seriously and treat the patients humanely? Suddenly this is becoming a favorite book.
The first time I read this I really struggled, as the mother’s relationship to her daughter was so toxic, hateful, and (dare I say) bizarre. With a little distance and a lot of therapy, I just feel sorry for her. So much wasted time and unnecessary pain.
September 18, 2016
After teasing us with the first two books we get an actual legitimate "League of Peoples" story. Two races, one human, neither native, coexist on a planet. A plague wipes out most of the nonhuman species. A human decides to join the planetary Vigil, a kind of nongovernmental ombudsman that is hooked with a direct brainlink to the World Mind (internet) and oversees all government activity. There are some explosions and people get dead. It turns into a murder mystery with clues spanning 3 decades and the human investigating is also the target. She also talks to nanites.
I found it more entertaining and far less preachy than the previous two books, though once again the main character spends several hundred pages either feeling sorry for herself or feeling proud that she currently doesn't feel sorry for herself. Advanced tech, androids, smart houses, intelligent walls, and aliens with bat wings. And gunfights and explosions. Sadly no car chases.
One thing could have been done better, but had no bearing on the outcome of the story. Once in a big way, and then more often later, and then just constantly, a totally impossible thing happened. People looked, saw, and were like, "That's impossible! When's lunch?" If a giant peacock were to magically appear in front of you, flap it's wings three times, then disappear, and everyone else saw it too, wouldn't you have more of a reaction than to just shrug it off and go back to what you were doing? You don't realize it but I've just given you a big spoiler.
I found it more entertaining and far less preachy than the previous two books, though once again the main character spends several hundred pages either feeling sorry for herself or feeling proud that she currently doesn't feel sorry for herself. Advanced tech, androids, smart houses, intelligent walls, and aliens with bat wings. And gunfights and explosions. Sadly no car chases.
One thing could have been done better, but had no bearing on the outcome of the story. Once in a big way, and then more often later, and then just constantly, a totally impossible thing happened. People looked, saw, and were like, "That's impossible! When's lunch?" If a giant peacock were to magically appear in front of you, flap it's wings three times, then disappear, and everyone else saw it too, wouldn't you have more of a reaction than to just shrug it off and go back to what you were doing? You don't realize it but I've just given you a big spoiler.
April 30, 2021
Just like the previous two books in James Alan Gardner's "League of Peoples" series, "Vigilant" is a very good book with an interesting writing style, characters, and concept. Even though it's very well done and easy to read, there are just a couple of small things which prevent me from giving it a full five star review. First, the interplay between the main character, Faye Smallwood, and Festina Ramos (from the original book) is a bit adolescent. Nothing horrible, but it just doesn't suit their backgrounds (especially Ramos'). Secondly, the repeated behavior of "Mouth" and "Muscle" is pretty darn silly. Heck, right at the end, Gardner even has Faye describe exactly what was wrong with their behavior. Yet, we're not offered a plausible excuse for it. These are pretty small issues, so, once again, it would be nice if I could rate the book at four and a half stars. But, since I can't, I'll go with the merely Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
Also, as a side note about the Kindle edition, this book has quite a few scanning/formatting errors. It's sad, but it seems the number and intrusiveness of these errors is increasing as the series progresses.
And, finally, the seven books currently in Gardner's League of Peoples series are:
1. Expendable (League of Peoples)
2. Commitment Hour (League of Peoples)
3. Vigilant (League of Peoples)
4. Hunted (League of Peoples)
5. Ascending (League of Peoples)
6. Trapped (League of Peoples)
7. Radiant (League of Peoples)
Also, as a side note about the Kindle edition, this book has quite a few scanning/formatting errors. It's sad, but it seems the number and intrusiveness of these errors is increasing as the series progresses.
And, finally, the seven books currently in Gardner's League of Peoples series are:
1. Expendable (League of Peoples)
2. Commitment Hour (League of Peoples)
3. Vigilant (League of Peoples)
4. Hunted (League of Peoples)
5. Ascending (League of Peoples)
6. Trapped (League of Peoples)
7. Radiant (League of Peoples)
January 1, 2017
Vigiliant is finally a real League of People's book, a high tech mystery on a planet inhabited by multiple species, and a long and forgotten past. The mystery takes a while to get moving, as our narrator Faye describes living through a terrible plague that targeted the avian Ooloom, before it was cured by her father, using ordinary olive oil. When her father was killed in a mining collapse, Faye acted out as hard a teenager could, but at the start of the action, she's gotten her life together and is a member of Vigil, a unique branch of government with the power to look into any official business and to objectively state how a proposed policy will work.
Faye's thrilling career investigating water plant refurbishment is sidelined when a team of androids try to assassinate her. Yeah, Rule #1 of the League of Peoples is that murder is impossible, or binds the perpetrator to a single planet. Faye investigates the attacks with a crazy Ooloom senior investigator, and Admiral Festina Ramos of Expendable. What she finds is, well, the soul of the world, machines with feelings, the origins of the plague, and how her father really died.
Gardner definitely has a pattern in his capable-but-emotionally-damaged protagonists, but he has a keen ear for character, and its fun to see the setting expand. Not as good as Expendable, better than Commitment Day.
Faye's thrilling career investigating water plant refurbishment is sidelined when a team of androids try to assassinate her. Yeah, Rule #1 of the League of Peoples is that murder is impossible, or binds the perpetrator to a single planet. Faye investigates the attacks with a crazy Ooloom senior investigator, and Admiral Festina Ramos of Expendable. What she finds is, well, the soul of the world, machines with feelings, the origins of the plague, and how her father really died.
Gardner definitely has a pattern in his capable-but-emotionally-damaged protagonists, but he has a keen ear for character, and its fun to see the setting expand. Not as good as Expendable, better than Commitment Day.
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